Business Essays Ryanair Airlines Transportation

Business Essays Ryanair Airlines Transportation Ryanair Airlines Transportation Ryan Air Case Study 1.0 Introduction Ryanair was set up by the Ryan family in 1985. The company went public in 1997 and the Ryan’s subsequently sold the bulk of their share to other shareholders. Ryanair traditionally developed organically, i.e. by growing its assets by itself. Every year, it opened new hubs in Europe, started flights from new airports, and added to its aircraft fleet. This model proved to be rather successful. By 2003, Ryanair was the most profitable and valuable airline in Europe ahead of Lufthansa and doubling its value over British Airways. However, as the market started to saturate and as the competition got tougher, the company decided to buy Buzz, another low-cost airline. It did so in 2003. Many said that Buzz was a financial disaster but acquiring it was strategically important for Ryanair that wanted to increase its market share and get Buzz’s airport slots and other facilities. 1.1 Ryan air’s objectives are: To open at least one new base in Europe each year for the next three or four years To grow at a rate of thirty percent (30%) for the next two years to just under twenty million passengers To maintain its position as Europe’s leading low fares airline To operate frequently point-to-point short haul flights, mainly out of regional and secondary airports 1.2 Mission and Vision The mission of Ryanair is to keep the lowest fares among all the other European airlines and to have a friendly and efficient service that satisfies the customer’s needs. The vision to the future of Ryanair is to keep going up and be Europe’s largest airline in the next six years. The heart of its strategy is based on providing a no-frills service with low fares designed to stimulate demand, particularly from budget conscious leisure and business travellers, who might otherwise have used alternatives forms of transportation, or who might not have travelled at all. 2.0 No-frill Ryan Air (refer to appendix A for more details) Over the last decade, European Aviation has moved from a highly regulated market, based on bilateral agreements between countries, towards an oligopolistic structure and finally to a highly monopolistic competitive single market. In this new situation the discretionary powers of the authorities have been curbed and airlines have enjoyed greater freedom to set fares, open new routes and determine what capacities to offer. This has eroded the dominance of the Flag Carriers like British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France, due to the upsurge of low cost airlines. In the United Kingdom however, the industry is still oligopolistic in nature, as there are many barriers to market contestability: Availability of desired take-off and landing slots at airports. The necessity of entering a new route on a large enough scale to achieve acceptable cost levels. The costs of leasing or buying new fleet of aircrafts. Securing contracts with ground-handling companies who may already have contracts with other airlines. Retaliatory behaviour by rivals. The necessity of applying for and securing an air operators’ licence from European Union. Overcoming existing customer loyalty achieved by companies who have exploited their advantage of being the first carrier. Direct intervention in the industry to control externalities e.g. aviation taxation. Ryanair a ‘no frills’ low cost airline was able to introduce pricing strategies that worked. Financial statements from 2002 – 2003 were compared; the results showed that Ryanair enjoyed after tax profit growth of fifty-nine percent (59%). This was possible through an aggressive pricing policy. 3.0 Internal and External Analysis In reference to the competitive structure of this newly formed low fares airline market in Europe and how it has developed during the 1990’s. 3.1 The Porters Five forces model shown in Appendix A, summaries these dynamics under the various influencing factors. The most influential of these are discussed. As entrants developed in this market, rivalry increased although no major head-to-head battles with the mainline global airlines occurred due to the ‘low fares’ market developing their own routes. Competition only existed from various new airlines catering for this growing sector, along with tailor made sub-divisions of the major airlines e.g. GO parent group British Airways. As the market became over crowded, however, the threat of entry was reduced, not only due to the large capital investment required. But the basic factors of congestion in the skies and the lack of take-off and landing slots at airports deterred potential new entrants. The suppliers of aircraft to the sector have relatively low power, second-hand aircraft entailed high maintenance low fuel efficiency costs and some new entrants required new aircraft to promote their new image. Although new aircraft suppliers also have low power due to the fierce competition within their manufacturing industry (Airbus, Boeing), the main force of supplier’s power comes from the price of aviation fuel which is directly related to the cost of oil, as individual companies within the airline sector they do not have the power to alter this. Customers have little power due to their large number and relatively small individual contribution to sales revenue, although this level of power will vary on the travel route in question depending on its level of competition. Porter (1998) highlighted potential risks that companies adopting any of the three generic strategies might face. For a strategy competing on costs, the main risks are when competitors are able to imitate the strategy itself, or technology changes. When the target segment becomes structurally unattractive, it also poses a risk to the company. This can happen when the demand for low fares disappears due to changing consumer taste. From the fact of the case study, Ryan air is a dominant player in the sector, and this risk is particular high at this stage. Ryan air ‘no-frill’ policy may have to change as they are actively expanding their flight route network and distance. It would be impossible for Ryan air not to provide meals on longer haul flights and as a result their cost focus strategy may become blurred. Ryan air continues to set prices lower than mist of their competitor. Bowman’s Strategic Clock may be a better tool for analysing the case study as it focuses on pricing (refer to appendix C). 3.2 Swot Analysis Opportunities for Ryanair There is still potential for more regional departures to satisfy business travel demand and the growth in short breaks. The Internet can provide a simpler route to the market for consumers and businesses. It makes searching for availability and the lowest fares easier and reduce distribution costs for airlines. There is potential for more direct bookings to reduce distribution costs. Increasing collaboration with alliance partners and code sharing partners can increase sales and reduce costs. This could lead to higher levels of cross-shareholdings and consolidation in the industry. There is also considerable potential for further development of low-fare services in Europe. Ryanair can use its reputation as a resource to expand into Internet cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s or car rental services. They can also cut down on the use of intermediataries who sell their tickets for them by getting to publicise through the Internet or airports 3.3 Threat for Ryan Air The threat of substitutes is however a main area of power, smaller geographical space and shorter distances between major agglomerations allow a greater competition from alternative transportation, notably the high-speed train. The main business challenge during the 1990’s for the ‘low fares’ airline sector was how to convince customers to take the plane instead. The threat of September 11 has proved traumatic for the mainstream European airlines. By contrast, in the no-frill airline sector, traffic calmed sharply, buoyed by strong sales promotions and heavy discounting. However, for Ryanair, the mainstream airlines’ losses were the budget airlines’ gains, strengthening their bargaining position with respect to aircraft procurement, airport deals and staff recruitment. 3.4 Strengths for Ryan Air (refer to Appendix B for more details) By looking at the strengths in appendix B, by the end of 2003, Ryanair’s route system had expanded from its primarily Irish-UK emphasis to serve 86 destinations on 133 routes across 16 countries. Ryanair’s no-frill services allowed it to priorities features important to its clientele, such as frequent departures, advance reservations, baggage handling, and consistent on-time services. Ryanair’s strength (appendix B) is that it offers travel insurances, car rental and connecting rail services, and commission on sales of other services such as hotel reservation. Ryanair website is acclaimed as being one of the most user-friendly and visited travel websites in Europe. (Refer to Exhibit 6 in the handbook for details on operating statistics for Ryanair) 3.5 Pestle Analysis: (refer to appendix A for more details) By looking at the Pestle Analysis, its suggests that Ryan air has to keep a lot of things in mind before taking any further step to increase it awareness. It has to make sure that it follows that law. Also, have to look at the people behaviour on spending the money and keep its price reasonable to attract its rival customers. 4.0 Financial Status: In 2003 Ryanair had delivered its 13th consecutive years of increased profitability. Its net margin had increased by 4% to 28%, surpassing its own long-term net profit margin target of 20%. The staff efficiency ratio had improved by 15% (see exhibit 1 in the handbook). The group’s market capitalisation had grown from  £392m in 1997 to  £4.7 by 1 July 2003, as its profitability was seen to be unique among airlines worldwide. In fiscal 2003, Ryanair had delivered extra ordinary growth in fleet, routes; traffic, revenues and profitability (refer to exhibit 1a, b and c in the handbook). Ryanair advertises its low fairs, primarily on its website, in newspapers, and on radio and television. In 1997, Ryanair was one of the first European airlines to cut its rate of commission to travel agents, from 9% to 7 and half percent. In 2002, Ryanair launched its website. This has had the effect of saving money on staff cost, agents’ commissions and computer reservation charges, while significantly contributing to growth. 5.0 Benchmarking: Comparing Ryanair to other airline companies is almost impossible, while the airline industry is blurring through competitive activity and industry convergence. Airlines offer nowadays a lot of extra services, for example, car rental, internet access in the plane et cetera. All those extra services don’t belong to the core product, the flight. Because of every airline company offering something else it makes it hard to compare Ryanair with them. Ryanair could compare itself to other low-budget airlines, despite the product Ryanair offers is very unique and Ryanair is one of the most profitable low-budget airline. 6.0 Resources Available resources Available resources can be grouped under the following four headings: Physical resources The nature of these resources, such as the age, condition, capability and location of each resource, will also determine the usefulness of the resource. Ryanair possesses everything that is needed to have the company operating in the airline industry. For example, an aircraft fleet (the average age was considerably higher than that of the fleets of Ryanair’s current or potential competitors), headquarter in Ireland, secondary airports to use for landing et cetera. Human resources Ryanair has several hundred employees who issued a statement asserting that they are happy to work for the company. Financial resources Ryanair has different shareholders: The Ryan family The employees Michael O’Leary An investment group led by David Bonderman Irish Air EU nationals Intellectual capital The intellectual capital is the intangible resources of an organisation and is often overlooked or undervalued. The intellectual capital of Ryanair consists for example of the knowledge that the individual employees have. They are all well trained, are able to use the customer databases and have good relationships with the customers. These resources are not tangible, but very important in this knowledge-based economy. 7.0 BUZZ – A Low Price Purchase: Ryanair protects and strengthen its position in the current EU Budget airline market through acquired BUZZ, and appointed two deputies, however, in the fierce competition; Ryanair should seek to some other new markets or new products. Enter the long-haul flight market with the existing cheap, no-frills flights or launch the business class in flight for the business travellers are both the good future directions for Ryanair, because these options are more or less relate to the current business which Ryanair is doing, it is easier for sharing the resources and controlling. Diversification into long-haul market with business class flights, seems not a wisdom choice for Ryanair, since choose to do something is not linking to Ryanair’s current business at all; it would make Ryanair into a very risky situation. 7.1 Robustness: (see appendix D) Rarity Michael O’Leary has a lot of experience and knowledge that can be seen as a unique resource for Ryanair. In 2004, the Financial Times named Michael O’Leary as one of 25 European ‘business stars’, who are expected to make a difference. Ideas can not be patented; they are in the public area. So advantage of Michael O’Leary will be short-lived and only if Ryanair is good at learning, adapting and moving to new bases of competition, Ryanair will be the long-term winner. Another rarity of Ryanair is the extremely low costs and low prices. This can be imitated by other airlines by introducing a new cost-cutting policy and by doing a lot of research. Complexity Entering the airline industry is very hard. Surviving in the airline industry as a low budget company maybe even harder, while Ryanair is so unique, innovative, with a very aggressive marketing policy, Ryanair is impossible to imitate. Culture Ryanair operates only in Europe, so the cultural differences are not so big, and does not give any problems. Casual ambiguity Other airline companies know that the basis of success for Ryanair is the cost-cutting policy. But how Ryanair manages this policy is unclear to them. It is hard to imitate. Ryanair is Europe’s first low-fares and no frills carrier, and it believes that it has made a sufficient gap over its competitors. But the question is can Ryanair maintain its objectives and strategies within the next 2-5years. 8.0 The detailed proposals recommended and previous objectives that can be enhanced. The Strategy that can help Ryan air to increase its competitiveness in the airline industry in short term and long term and the things that it can do to attract more customers. 8.1 Short-term strategy (refer to appendix C for more details about Ryan air strategic position) In short-term strategies, Ryanair must ensure that they are very competitive in terms of their low cost services. By keeping customers satisfied with the price of their tickets, thus reducing the complaints from flight changes and price changes, and ensuring that their day-to-day activities are constantly kept up-to-date with the constant use of the value chain analysis. 8.2 Medium-term Strategy In medium-term Ryanair face continuous competition, due to the fact that they are not number one in the low fare airlines market share even with the merger with BUZZ holding the largest low fares airline, BA and its seven alliances are number one. There should be some goals to under pin other competitors in a market penetration and new product development. Maybe by implementing own branded items into the market, as well as the subsidy’s, to maximise profits with the aid of research and development. Ryanair want to compete against BA. In which Ryanair is continuing its long-term goals of expansion, in order to compete with the larger companies. But they can only achieve this by undercutting BA, i.e. in sectors they fail to break even. 8.3 Additional Service for Customers: The use of secondary airports causes people to catch other modes of transport to reach the main city. Ryanair can take advantage, by offering an additional service to drop people at their locations. This can be done through contracting to a taxi service or a coach company. With a well-researched marketing strategy that can be used to attract the customers thereby boosting Ryanair’s passengers in unfilled seats and thus aiding in the reduction of complaints in short-term strategy. By having more people working on the help desks as the Internet has no middle man, thus no commission has to be paid to travel agencies. In terms of the Internet direct sale, it not only can reduce labour administration costs, but convenience for customers and save their time. In order to provide customers with an efficient and courteous service, it is inevitable that Ryanair have to improve their service. Generally such as the cargo services, well arrangement of booking tickets (in the internet and telephone) and while flights are being cancelled, they will give priority to resolve the situation. 8.4 Promotional Activity for Ryanair: Ryanair needs large amounts of aggressive promotion, to be noticed by the whole world in similarity to Easy Jets marketing tactic of a TV programme that was successful in making a profit and its name being remembered. In comparison, the name Ryanair is not that well known but a market research would be needed to verify this. Ryanair must achieve a new tactic to be known in the market but this may lead to a high risk factor, if they decided to focus on advertisements on TV with their special offers other than travel agencies using their airlines. Another option is the low risk factors by advertising on radio and billboards, then aiming the marketing strategy towards the targeted customers i.e. entrepreneurs and students 8.5 What Ryan air should in terms of its customer’s safety? In points of safety for their customers since the US attacks during September 11th and the recent attacks that took place in 2003, the planes must be kept and insured that they are safe to use otherwise there will be no customers. For example, if a budget air-line had an accident it can be argued that the low costs on ticket prices, cost peoples lives. This strategy will always need constant up-to-date measures in short-term and long-term, because anything can happen. 9.0 Conclusion The aim of this report was to carry out a strategy analysis of Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost no-frills airline. From this it became evident that the organisation operates in a complex environment with fast changing influences that affect its business both beneficially and unfavourably. It also enabled identification of some of the sources of Ryanair’s competitive advantage: core competencies, unique resources, key linkages and the superior cost performance compared to its closest competitor. However, it also became clear that the organisation still has a lot to learn from best practice. In general, Ryanair’s strategies match its task environment although it fails to address certain crucial issues. If these are not dealt with they could lead to future problems and reductions in profits. Reference: Cole, G. A. 1996, Management Theory and Practice, DP Publications, London Hornby, W., Gammie, B., Wall, S. 1997, Business Economics, Pearson Education Limited, England Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. 2001, Principles of Marketing, Prentice Hall, New Jersey Sloman, J. 2000, Economics, Pearson Education Ltd, England. Wright, W. 1999, Marketing: Origins, Concepts, Environment, Business Press, London Gerry Johnson. Kevan Scholes, Richard Whittington. 2007, Exploring Corporate Strategy, 7th edition Appendix A Porters Five Forces related to Ryanair: The Threat of Entry High requirements for capital investment Some economies of scale High marketing costs Experience in operation needed, established airlines already have trained staff High congestion of main airports, difficulty of obtaining landing and take-off slots Advantage in brand recognition, first mover advantage Expectation of retaliation from traditional airlines in price cutting and marketing strategies such as British Airways, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and BMI New EU ruling on overbooking can add to the increasing costs posed to airline companies The Threat of Substitutes Mainstream airlines are losing market share due to September 11 aftermath Substitution depends on the relative strengths of other airlines such as daily flights frequency, punctuality, price and certain destinations Availability of other transport alternatives such as charter airlines, car ferries, high-speed trains and cars. Substitution for land travelling is dependent on journey time distances, destinations, convenience, flexibility, and customer preferences Bargaining Power of Buyers Large population base in EU Switching cost is relevantly low as there is no high differentiation of services Internet booking allows customers to research relative costs between airliners easily; perfect knowledge Price is major factor in the choice of airlines apart from flight frequency and punctuality Services provided is similar among airlines Bargaining Power of Suppliers Concentrated and small number of aircraft manufacturers i.e. Boeing and Airbus Many budget airlines have been opting for standardized Boeing 737 aircraft will lead to Boeing having more power. The power of main airports is increasing due to air traffic in EU is mounting. Secondary airports are desperate for business from budget airlines. The price of aviation fuel is directly linked to the cost of oil, hence budget airlines like Ryanair is difficult to alter this. The more Ryanair expands the more power it will possess over its suppliers. Competitive Rivalry The European low cost airline industry is very competitive. Ryanair has fierce competition from Easy Jet, Virgin Express and Aer Lingus New competitors in the budget sector increase the buyer power. Mainstream airlines have more control over take-off and landing slots in main airports Mainstream airlines are trying to retaliate by decrease cost on domestic flights, introducing internet booking and set up low-fares subsidiaries Low switching costs and customer loyalty High costs of leaving market Pest Analysis: Political and Legal Regulations for the air travel industry are getting even more stringent. The European Union authorities demand that airlines operate in an open, transparent manner. Any state subsidies to airline companies are prohibited in order to make working conditions equal to anyone and to boost competition in the industry. There are also regulations in place for airlines not to exceed certain levels of noise and air pollution. All of the legislation and regulations make operating in the industry harder. Economic Europe is undergoing economic slowdown. People therefore spend less, in general, and tend to travel less, as a result. High oil prices inflate costs of fuel and impact margins negatively. At the same time, people are ready to travel for less and thus willing to opt for low-budget airlines. Business travel is on the surge. E.g., business travelers count for 40% of all Ryanair’s passengers. At the same time, overall traffic in the industry as well as profitability levels plummeted in the aftermath of 11 September and after the war in Iraq and the SARS. This had a devastating effect on the majority of airlines but also gave an impetus to the development of low-cost carriers. Social People’s mobility has been increasing during the last decades. People travel for leisure, business, and in search of new jobs. Personal disposable income of people is rising in Europe as well as the number of senior citizens who enjoy traveling. Traveling low-cost has become a norm. Technological Airlines set up websites through which they sell tickets and other ancillary products and services such as car rentals and travel insurances. This led to cost decreases and to greater reach to customers. Airlines now provide satellite TV and phone services on board as well as broadband Internet and thus enhance value to customers. Information systems allow airlines collect data about passengers, cost, prices as well as ensure better service when boarding and handling luggage. Environmental Companies now have to comply with strict environment protection regulations and laws. Should they breach them, they may be liable to enormous fines or court hearings. This can have a greater impact on low-cost carriers as they have more take-offs and landings due to higher frequency of flights, and therefore need to pay more environment related taxes. Appendix B Strengths and weaknesses of Ryanair Airline Strengths Ryanair first budget airline in Europe, market leader. Most developed route system with frequent departures on Dublin–London route. Pre-empting potential competitors on the same routes, unless they can offer better value than Ryanair through lower prices (which requires them to have lower costs or take the pain of losses) and/or extra services (but customers must consider these worth paying for). Pursuing clear strategy, efficient and effective low cost operator; activities fit together to create low cost  ® difficult to undercut Ryanair on cost, and therefore on price (but see weaknesses for some cost vulnerabilities). Low and reducing breakeven load factor, easily cleared, reduces financial risk. Similarly, average length of passenger haul is moving in the right direction, as is number of employees per aircraft  ® reducing cost per available seat mile ®good operating profit. In fact, in 2001 Ryanair was considered the most profitable airline in the world Low debt, relatively high p/e ratio makes it possible to raise finance for growth Leadership – testimony of awards for management. Michael O’Leary and Tony Ryan are determined competitors, turned Ryanair around very effectively Weaknesses In an inverse way, Ryanair’s weaknesses can be listed and assessed to see whether any of them create critical vulnerabilities that impair Ryanair’s positioning and viability. Cost structure – aircraft utilisation in question with lowest number of hours per day of any budget competitors; older aircraft entail higher fuel and maintenance costs; currency fluctuations make fuel costs unpredictable. Overly cost conscious? Could be irritating to passengers, e.g. withdrawing free ice with paid for drinks – especially when budget rivals are actually adding perks, and mainstream airlines are discounting. Capital structure – very vulnerable to financial markets sentiment and high expectations, so any profit disappointment could be disastrous for share price, which is especially important in absence of dividends. Also, majority free floating shares could result in over 50% ownership outside EU  ®loss of airline licence. Staff issues – EU legislation regarding compulsory trade unions, alongside history of industrial relations problems; question marks over staff commitment and loyalty. Outsourced services outside Ireland may mitigate against employee commitment and intense company knowledge necessary to create superior customer service. Ryanair penalized more than other airlines by loss of intra-EU duty-free because cabin staff remuneration dependent on it; Ryanair had to compensate staff. The Value Chain The value chain model was suggested by Michael Porter. He maintained that an organization can provide value to its customers in two major ways: by lowering costs in a particular operation or by enhancing perceived value-added through differentiation. A company can add value using both methods in its different operations. The value chain consists of primary activities and supporting activities. Primary activities include: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inbound logistics, i.e. suppliers, purchases, inventories, lead times; b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operations, i.e. manufacturing or processing; waste and distribution management; inventory control; efficiency; location management; customer service; information systems; c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Outbound logistics: selling, delivering, transportation, distribution; d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marketing and sales; e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Service: customer satisfaction and retention, customer loyalty. Supporting activities entail: f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Infrastructure: structure of the organization (centralized or decentralized etc); culture; managers’ involvement and support; vision; frequency of communication between managers and employees; g)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Human resources: motivation; respect of employees, which leads to happier staff and lower turn-around; h)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology development: Internet bookings, satellite communications, ERP information systems all lead to greater efficiency and lower costs; i)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procurement: relationships with suppliers; storage. When bargaining power towards suppliers is high, then costs are low. A succes

Invictus Explication Essay

Written in the form of a sonnet, William Ernest Henleys poem â€Å"Invictus† describes the continuos battle against darkness and sin that every human being experiences in his or her life. â€Å"Invictus† is formatted in four stanzas with four lines each and every stanza serves a separate purpose then the stanzas before. Henley reveals one of the major themes of this poem through the words â€Å"My head is bloody, but unbowed† (8). This line at the end of stanza two displays that everybody will endure struggles at some point in their life, but they cannot let those struggles complete destroy hemselves. Each stanza not only introduces realistic struggles and hardships that human beings face, but they also illustrate how humans can triumph over those hardships. For example, the very beginning of the poem starts off with â€Å"Out of the night that covers me/ Black as the pit from pole to pole† implying that darkness and wickedness surround someone’s life (1-2). Later on in the beginning of stanzas two and three words such as â€Å"fell clutch/†¦ horror of the shade’†¦ [and] menace of the years† also introduce a dark and gloomy tone to the poem (4,9-10). Once the gloomy tone has een presented, Henley quickly switches gears and flips the tone to one of strength and encouragement; The transition of tones is exhibited in strong language such as â€Å"l have not winced, nor cried aloud† (6). Henley formats each stanza in a way where the reader leaves with positive thoughts as he or she continues reading. All throughout the poem, every line contains either a positive or negative tone; however, the order in which the lines are written change with each stanza. Rather than simply alternating between positive and negative tones with each line, Henley hanges not only the orders but also the amount of the positive and negative lines within each stanza. For example, the first stanza contains two negatively toned lines that are followed by two positive lines, but the second stanza alternates from negative to positive. By altering the order of the lines, Henley hints at the fact that life can throw good or bad things at you in any order. Different from all other stanza’s, the third stanza contains three negatively toned lines and only one positively toned line. The stanza begins â€Å"Beyond this place of wrath and tears/ Looms but the Horror of the shade/ and yet the menace of the years† creating an extremely dark and malicious feel to the stanza (9-11). However, the maliciousness is shown to be ineffective to this person as the â€Å"menace of the years/ finds and shall find [him/her] unafraid† (11-12). Since stanza three contains three negatively toned lines in a row, it indicates that life can become absolutely overwhelming with darkness and evil, but no matter how hopeless life may seem people always have the choice to fight and â€Å"be unafraid†. The themes of self-reliance and survival present themselves strongly in the last stanza. Essentially, Henleys â€Å"Invictus† can be summed up with one simple statement: humans control their own lives, they have been given the authority to do whatever they desire. The use of the words â€Å"Master† and â€Å"Captain† in lines 15-16 prove this statement because both masters and captains are leaders who are inclined to make their own decisions. These lasts lines ultimately prove that people are in control of in their own hands. Whether a person ends up down the road of triumph or defeat falls complete upon his or herself because â€Å"[they] are the Masters of [their] fate/ [they] are the Captains of [their] soul† (15-16).

Political Parties in the American Revolution

By the beginning of American Revolution, the 13 Colonies already had a profound experience of own political living. Such brilliant personalities as Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams and Thomas Paine, later becoming Founding Fathers of a new nation were known as original philosophers, lawyers and politicians   far behind the Colonies. Each of them, naturally, had his own idea of principles, upon which a State should be grounded and this lead to many years of debate, in which modern American political system was born. Most of them were followed by groups of supporters, who formed that, what later became fractions and political parties. In this paper I will investigate the origins of political parties in American Revolution and how their political concepts have been influenced by the views of their founders. The first matter, which has been debated by political fractions regarded the most basic question: whether to struggle for independence or not. On this grounds the colonists separated themselves into the Revolutionists (Patriots), the Loyalists and the Neutrals. Patriots included a wide range of social groups, united by the idea of independence. The minority, estimated about 15-25% of the population kept supporting the British rule[1]. They were typically older, than the Revolutionists and were known for their conservatism, as well as recent immigrants from Great Britain. After American victory in the War of Independence, some of the Loyalists moved to the neighboring British colonies of Quebec or Nova Scotia. However, Patriots and Loyalists can not be yet called â€Å"real† parties. Associated essay: What Led to the Rise of Political Parties in the 1790s Essay The first separation of the Founders themselves to distinct groups, struggling against one another, has happened at the ratification of the Constitution. The basic division was into Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Articles of Confederation were signed separately by representatives of each State and initially nothing, but a broad confederation of independent states was meant as a form of state structure for the USA. However, the most influential Founding Fathers, including military leaders, such as George Washington and politicians, such as Franklin, quickly came to understanding, that confederacies is a too weak form of state system, which would likely lead to further conflicts between separate states. After Shays' Rebellion Washington came to understand, that the Government can not be effective under Articles of confederation. Those could not satisfy their demands, and the federalists believed, that a new document, specifying basic grounds for a State must have been introduced. So, the Federalists started advocating a closer union with stronger powers of central government. And these were the Federalists, who proposed a project of the Constitution. To gain public support the Federalists issued that, what is now known as â€Å"Federalist Papers† and has been actually called simply â€Å"Federalist†. The writing included a series of 85 articles in support of Federalism with philosophic, politic and legal explanation of it’s benefits, authored by Madison, Hamilton, Burr and John Jay[2]. The Anti-Federalists included much less known representatives of lower classes, fearful, that stronger government would lead to hegemony of rich plantation owners and wealthy people. They pointed, that Articles of Confederation was a sufficient and effective document and the Constitution was simply unnecessary and dangerous for principles, upon which the American Revolution has been grounded. Under their opinion, that centralization would lead to abolition of freedom and corruption. Notably, Patrick Henry opposed the Constitution in his speeches, accusing Federalists of intention to make President an actual King. As he noted: â€Å"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.†[3] Anti-federalists also strongly opposed the idea of Federal Court, declaring, that it will turn into a body of oppression and make local governments dependant on the will of the centre. Same as Federalists, the Anti-federalists tried to influence public opinion by their articles, issued under pseudonyms such as Brutus or Federal Farmer. Contemporary historicists gathered them into a collection, sometimes referred as â€Å"Anti-Federalist Papers†. Opposition appeared to be so strong, that in North Carolina and Rhode Island it managed to take over the public opinion and block ratification of the Constitution. Only the establishment of new governments allowed to adopt Constitution in those states. However, the opposition has not put up with the victory of Federalists, and their massive protests, led by Judge William West almost resulted in a civil conflict[4]. However, victory was on the side of Federalists, to a great extent due to Washington’s authority. As the first President said: â€Å"Constitution is a guide, to which I never will abandon† After weeks of fierce debate an accord, known as â€Å"Massachusetts compromise† has been signed between Federalists and Anti-Federalists and a recommendation has been included to the Constitution, that it must have been amended by a Bill of Rights. As the Constitution has been passed and became operative, both movements were so exhausted, that they started to decay. A new wave of Federalism emerged, based on the based policies of Alexander Hamilton, who stressed the necessity of strong national government and protectionist economy. Together with his allies Hamilton organized a national Federalist Party, which lead John Adams to be elected President. Nevertheless, with defeat of Adams at elections in 1800, the second Federalist party also felt into disfavor, until it took exit in 1821. The Anti-Federalists continued to advocate strict-constructionism and popular rights and was finally transformed into the Democratic-Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson[5]. The adoption of Constitution and early political of America has been characterized by sharp discussion and struggle of opinions. From the historic perspective, it is impossible to say, that Federalists were winners and Anti-Federalists were losers. Both parties made an outstanding contribution to the legal base of the USA – the Federalists by the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists by the Bill of Rights. Therefore, it is possible to speac of normal democratic process, where every opinion is taken into account. SOURCES USED 1. Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present, Harper Perennial (Reprint edition), 2003 2. T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, and R. Hal Williams, America, Past and Present, vol. 1 (until 1865), 8 ed. Longman, 2006 [1] Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present, Harper Perennial (Reprint edition), 2003, p.-243 [2] T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, and R. Hal Williams, America, Past and Present, vol. 1 (until 1865), 8 ed. Longman, 2006, p.-190 [3] Howard Zinn, Ibid, p. 246 [4] T. H. Breen, Ibid, p. 201 [5] Supra Note, 203

The Most Influential Mexicans Since Independence